Over the past few days, the White House and its allies have been desperately trying to spin the real issues surrounding the actions of Karl Rove. To set the story straight, there are five key facts you need to know. Ultimately, Karl Rove has become "an embarrassment" for the White House and should do the President the courtesy of resigning. If he does not, President Bush needs to uphold his pledge and fire Karl Rove.

FACT #1 -- ROVE AND WHITE HOUSE HAVE REPEATEDLY LIED ABOUT ROVE'S ROLE IN THE LEAK: Asked on 9/29/03 whether he had "any knowledge" of the leak or whether he leaked the name of the CIA agent, Rove answered "no." He later said, "I didn't know her name. I didn't leak her name." Also on 9/29/03, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, after having "spoken to Karl," asserted that "it is a ridiculous suggestion" to say Rove was involved in the leak.

FACT #2 -- PRESIDENT BUSH SAID HE WOULD FIRE ANYONE INVOLVED: Asked on 6/10/04 whether he stood by his pledge to "fire anyone" involved in the leak case, Bush answered, "yes." Bush has said, "When the President says something, he better mean it."

FACT #3 -- ROVE IDENTIFIED PLAME IN POSSIBLE VIOLATION OF LAW: At the very least, we know Rove identified the cover CIA agent Valerie Plame as "Wilson's wife" and that she worked after the "agency on wmd." Section 421 of the Intelligence Identities Protection Act targets anyone who "intentionally discloses any information identifying" a covert agent.

FACT #4 -- OUTING OF PLAME WAS RETRIBUTION AGAINST CRITIC OF IRAQ INTELLIGENCE: The Washington Post reported on 9/28/03: "[A] senior administration official said that before Novak's column ran, two top White House officials called at least six Washington journalists and disclosed the identity and occupation of Wilson's wife... 'Clearly, it was meant purely and simply for revenge,' the senior official said of the alleged leak.'"

FACT #5 -- WHITE HOUSE SILENT NOW BUT HAS SPOKEN PREVIOUSLY WHILE THE INVESTIGATION WAS ONGOING: McClellan has said that while the investigation is ongoing, "the White House is not going to comment on it." But on 10/1/03, McClellan also said, "There's an investigation going on" but spoke openly about Rove, saying "it's simply not true that he was involved in leaking classified information."